110 TDI to 1.4 TSI comparison

[Falmouthboy]

Having just swapped our Facelift Euro V 110 TDI 2wd Elegance for a new 1.4 150 4x4 TSI Outdoor L&K I thought I would post my feedback and views. I picked the car up on Wednesday and have already done 800 miles following a weekend 'road trip'. Clearly the new engine is a bit tight still, and I've been running it on high octane fuel 'because she's worth it'. Higher octane fuel pays for itself with better economy in our M135i.

So - economy wise the 'no 2' average since new is 36.4 mpg. 600 of the 800 miles were 2 x 300 mile runs 75% on motorway/dual carriageway. The up trip was very steady but cruising at 70 and we saw a 40.5 average on arrival. We pushed a bit harder on the way back with the cruise set at 78 for 150 miles of the return and saw the average drop to 34.6 [emoji33]. A big drop, but proportionately similar to the TDI which would have only given 8 - 10 mpg more on the trip. Probably slightly worse than expected and I will experiment to see if standard fuel keeps economy the same or drops it further.

The 1.4 is far quieter naturally but doesn't really feel any quicker unless you are pushing the revs (when it certainly does feel quicker). Clearly I'm not using full throttle yet but I do need to get used to less power than the TDI until the turbo spools up.

In terms of options, apart from mud flaps and metallic paint, both cars are standard spec. The Elegance had most of what I needed, but I wish I had specced nav. The L&K has some stuff I wouldn't have paid extra for. In particular the auto parking, I wouldn't have paid for the panoramic roof either, but now I have it, I love it! The heated screen will need to wait for winter to see if it's a winner worth paying extra for.

I can live with the gusset brown leather, but they needn't have bothered! Also, the L&K badging is a bit naff to be honest. List price wise it's almost £4K more than the TDI (although I managed a better discount) and when you consider its a 4x4 with more kit and power the price difference is probably about right.

The TDI didn't see the dealer once apart from servicing from the day we took delivery. This one came 'sans' towing eye and the steering wheel isn't quite straight (only a degree or two out, Mrs FB can't even see it, but I'm so anal about these things). So it will need to go back for 'snagging'.

In truth I would have preferred this car as a 150 bhp, DSG, 2wd, SE L with a few more options. Certainly a bit more choice would have been good, but this has been discussed at length elsewhere.

In summary - certainly no regrets and in spite of the road trip in week one, with an annual mileage of 10k, most to be on Cornish roads the reduced economy won't be a concern. The extra power and refinement will be nice, as will the summer with that panoramic roof.

Thanks to a large stone being thrown up by a passing car I already have a massive stone chip right in the middle of the windscreen arghhhhhhh!

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[Ryeman]

Ouch!

Bad luck about the stone chip, so early on too.

[Nick P]

Picking our 1.4 150 L&K up next week. Looking forward to the pano roof, DAB and a bit more power right now and the 4x4 and heated screen come winter.

I've given up worrying about Yeti fuel economy on the motorway. That downside is outweighed by the positive qualities of the car.

Our current 1.2 TSI Elegance has only been back to the dealer for two annual services, no snagging / warranty jobs and I am fussy. First car I've had zero issues with.

Edited 20 June, 2016 by Nick P

[Ryeman]

It's natural environment is, inner city or backroads.

[Nick P]

Btw, why are you not using full throttle? I thought general consensus was it's best to use the full rev range from new so long as you warm it up properly first and gently running in can cause excessive oil consumption long term.

[Ryeman]

I've never driven sportily during the early days, or any time actually, and have never had an oil consumption issue with dozens of new cars.

VAG's have a reputation.

[Falmouthboy]

Btw, why are you not using full throttle? I thought general consensus was it's best to use the full rev range from new so long as you warm it up properly first and gently running in can cause excessive oil consumption long term.

From my experience (having only ever run cars in by the book) and read on various forums the views of others, the opposite is more often the case. Cars that are pushed from day one tend to use more oil and are prone to issues in later life. I'm sure that Skoda (and every other manufacturer for that matter) don't specify a running in regime in the hand book for the fun of it, just to frustrate new owners!

Cars don't need running in as they used to and can be driven 'normally' from day one. Proper warming up is essential as you say, but high revs, labouring the engine and full throttle are best avoided until everything is bedded in. It's true that modern engines are bench run before fitting and tolerances are so much tighter, but I believe proper running in is still important.

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Edited 20 June, 2016 by Falmouthboy

[Totally Square]

In truth I would have preferred this car as a 150 bhp, DSG, 2wd, SE L with a few more options. Certainly a bit more choice would have been good, but this has been discussed at length elsewhere.

 

+1

[VAGCF]

Btw, why are you not using full throttle? I thought general consensus was it's best to use the full rev range from new so long as you warm it up properly first and gently running in can cause excessive oil consumption long term.

I think that general consensus is that it's a waste of time as the oil already in is too good and the rings will not bed in any more even if driven hard.

[logiclee]

In truth I would have preferred this car as a 150 bhp, DSG, 2wd, SE L with a few more options. Certainly a bit more choice would have been good, but this has been discussed at length elsewhere.

 

 

With an open range we would have ordered a 1.4 TSi DSG 2WD SE/SEL.

 

Some strange marketing decisions being made by Skoda UK

 

Lee

[YetiSteve]

I totally agree with logiclee, and would have been very happy with a 1.4 DSG 2wd in SeL spec.  I wonder whether SUK ever listens to customers?  Do they run customer clinics or surveys to update their planning?

[Ryeman]

2WD gives you so much and means you don't have to lump around all that extra weight which makes stop/start economy better with less weight to stop reduces brake wear also.

Height, vision and turning circle remain and mine never activated the rears in any case.

[Nick P]

I totally agree with logiclee, and would have been very happy with a 1.4 DSG 2wd in SeL spec. I wonder whether SUK ever listens to customers? Do they run customer clinics or surveys to update their planning?

Throughout my more than ten years of Skoda ownership, SUK have always made bizarre decisions and imposed weird restrictions that seem to go beyond what one would imagine VAG would care about. And they never seem to have listened to customers.

Edited 20 June, 2016 by Nick P